I like any work of art that I can get a little lost in... where I stare, meander and get out of my head for a bit. The work of Atlanta based artist, Kiki Slaughter has succeeded in getting my full attention. I can't help but want to know more...

Kiki is a southern gal, rasied in Charlottesville, Virginia. As shared on her site, "Her paintings are best described as an experiment with the fundamental process of painting. She pours, scrapes, layers and otherwise manipulates paint on the canvas to create works that are rich in both color and texture."

She creates large abstract oil paintings that feel wholly inspired and layered in meaning. Like many great artists, she's a storyteller at heart. As Kiki shared, "When I begin a painting, I do not always have an idea of the finished product in mind. Instead, I find painting to be an organic process in which the act of painting itself and the phsyicality of materials I use are both muses and methods for my work."

As one may suspect, Kiki is very inspired by the color and forms of the natural world. She is tuned in to her instincts - able to create a cohesive piece of art that draws us in, not by luck, but by an intuitiveness for form, light and balance. As my friend Kathryn Kolb would say, it works. There's always a reason to why we stop, stare and stay awhile...